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Closing the Back Door to Europe

A dangerous trail through the West Balkans is currently the main entry route into Europe for migrants fleeing war and upheaval. But parts of the route have been blocked in recent months with razor-wire fences and other border controls, forcing migrants to take paths that are more dangerous.

SLOVAKIA

GERMANY

AUSTRIA

Border

controls

Partial fence

planned

HUNGARY

Border

controls

ROMANIA

Fences

SLOVENIA

CROATIA

Border

controls

BOSNIA AND

HERZ.

Black

Sea

SERBIA

BULGARIA

Fences

MONT.

KOS.

Adriatic

Sea

MACED.

Police

crackdown

TURKEY

ALBANIA

ITALY

GREECE

100 Miles

Border

controls

Border

controls

GER.

Plan for

fence

HUNGARY

AUSTRIA

Fences

ROMANIA

SLOVENIA

CROATIA

Border

controls

SERBIA

Fences

BULGARIA

MAC.

Police

crackdown

TURKEY

GREECE

Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

SERBIA

Fence built

in 2012

BULGARIA

Evros

River

GREECE

MACEDONIA

TURKEY

Thessaloniki

Aegean

Sea

LESBOS

ISLAND

Fence built

in 2012

Evros

River

GREECE

TURKEY

Turkey → Greece

Greek Fence Forces Migrants to Sea

Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

SERBIA

Fence built

in 2012

BULGARIA

Evros

River

GREECE

MACEDONIA

TURKEY

Thessaloniki

Aegean

Sea

LESBOS

ISLAND

Fence built

in 2012

Evros

River

GREECE

TURKEY

Greece built a razor-wire fence in 2012 to block a short stretch of its border with Turkey that was a popular land crossing for migrants. It also increased security along the Evros River, which forms the remainder of the border. This is the first of several barriers that merely diverted the flow of migrants from Turkey, pushing them to Bulgaria or onto boats headed for Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. Above, an overcrowded dinghy with Syrian migrants arrives on Lesbos Island, Greece.

Andrew Testa for The New York Times

Black

Sea

Fence built along

section of border

Istanbul

BULGARIA

TURKEY

GREECE

Aegean

Sea

Black

Sea

Fence built along

section of border

Istanbul

BULGARIA

TURKEY

GREECE

Aegean

Sea

Turkey → Bulgaria

Bulgaria Builds Its Own Fence

Andrew Testa for The New York Times

Black

Sea

Fence built along

section of border

Istanbul

BULGARIA

TURKEY

GREECE

Aegean

Sea

Black

Sea

Fence built along

section of border

Istanbul

BULGARIA

TURKEY

GREECE

Aegean

Sea

Bulgaria responded to the influx of migrants diverted from Greece by starting construction of its own fence on the border with Turkey, above, in 2014. Bulgaria’s fence and border control efforts reduced illegal crossings by more than half last year. Most migrants are now forced to take sea routes.

Nikos Arvanitidis/European Pressphoto Agency

SERBIA

MONTENEGRO

KOSOVO

BULGARIA

MACEDONIA

Clashes near

Gevgelija

Adriatic

Sea

Aegean

Sea

ALBANIA

GREECE

BULGARIA

MACEDONIA

Clashes near

Gevgelija

GREECE

Greece → Macedonia

A Police Crackdown Fails in Macedonia

Nikos Arvanitidis/European Pressphoto Agency

SERBIA

MONTENEGRO

KOSOVO

BULGARIA

MACEDONIA

Clashes near

Gevgelija

Adriatic

Sea

Aegean

Sea

ALBANIA

GREECE

BULGARIA

MACEDONIA

Clashes near

Gevgelija

GREECE

Thousands of migrants per day on their way north have moved through the tiny nation of Macedonia in recent months, crossing the border next to railway lines near the town of Gevgelija. The government tried to prevent migrants from crossing the border in August, creating crowds at the border, above, that clashed with the police. But the next day, the migrants were allowed in. Macedonia has since focused on quickly moving migrants north to Serbia.

Zoltan Balogh/MTI, via Associated Press

Budapest

AUSTRIA

Plan for fence

along part of

border

HUNGARY

Roszke

ROMANIA

Fences constructed

this year

SERBIA

CROATIA

Budapest

Plan for fence

along part of

border

HUNGARY

Roszke

ROMANIA

Fences constructed

this year

SERBIA

CROATIA

Serbia → Hungary

Hungary Tries to Seal Its Borders

Zoltan Balogh/MTI, via Associated Press

Budapest

AUSTRIA

Plan for fence

along part of

border

HUNGARY

Roszke

ROMANIA

Fences constructed

this year

SERBIA

CROATIA

Budapest

Plan for fence

along part of

border

HUNGARY

Roszke

ROMANIA

Fences constructed

this year

SERBIA

CROATIA

Hungary said on Friday that it would close its 216-mile border with Croatia at midnight. The announcement came after Hungary completed construction of a razor-wire fence along its border with Croatia, extending the 109-mile fence that was hastily built along its border with Serbia earlier this year. Above, migrants crawled under the fence near Roszke in August.

The new measure could shift the flow of people yet again, diverting them farther west into Slovenia en route to Austria and Germany.

Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

Vienna

SLOVAKIA

Budapest

AUSTRIA

HUNGARY

SLOVENIA

CROATIA

Vienna

SLOVAKIA

Budapest

AUSTRIA

HUNGARY

SLOVENIA

CROATIA

Hungary → Austria

Austria Restricts Open Borders

Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

Vienna

SLOVAKIA

Budapest

AUSTRIA

HUNGARY

SLOVENIA

CROATIA

Vienna

SLOVAKIA

Budapest

AUSTRIA

HUNGARY

SLOVENIA

CROATIA

Austria announced plans to put border controls into effect along its border with Hungary in September, and officials said the controls could stay in effect under European Union rules for up to six months, The Associated Press reported. The controls require travelers to carry passports or other official identification. Officials said on September 14 that they would deploy 2,200 soldiers to patrol the eastern border. Above, hundreds of mostly Syrian and Afghan migrants on the outskirts of Budapest marched toward the Austrian border last month.

Vancon Laetitia for The New York Times

CZECH

REPUBLIC

GERMANY

SLOVAKIA

Vienna

Munich

AUSTRIA

HUNGARY

CZECH

REPUBLIC

GERMANY

Munich

AUSTRIA

Austria → Germany

Germany Takes Emergency Measures

Vancon Laetitia for The New York Times

CZECH

REPUBLIC

GERMANY

SLOVAKIA

Vienna

Munich

AUSTRIA

HUNGARY

CZECH

REPUBLIC

GERMANY

Munich

AUSTRIA

Germany ordered temporary border restrictions in September that cut off rail travel from Austria and instituted spot checks on cars, two weeks after Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted that Europe retain open borders. The restrictions left thousands of migrants stuck in Austria, although train service between the two countries was restored early the next day. Above, a group of migrants arrived last month in Passau, a small German city on the border that is the main entry point for migrants.